Disturbia: A Convincing Remake of Hitchcock's "Rear Window"

Kale rides in a car with his father, when it is suddenly run off the road, then hit by a truck, killing his father but not him. Kale becomes rebellious and after punching a teacher out, he is put under house arrest and monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet. Being unable to leave his own property, he is forced to create a new hobby - being a voyeur of his neighborhood. He takes special interest in an older male neighbor who does suspicious activities. Kale is accompanied by two friends who become his eyes and ears on the outside as they investigate the possible serial killer.

I never thought it was possible but Disturbia has successfully merged a teen thriller with a convincing "remake" of a classic. While I won't argue whether or not this is officially a remake of Hitchcock's "Rear Window", for all intents and purposes it is, in my mind. Jimmy Stewart's version will always be the original and the best version, Disturbia ranks a close second or third.

I wasn't exactly sure what this movie was about when I saw the previews. But within fifteen minutes, I knew this would be similar to "Rear Window" with a few changes. Instead of the lead character breaking his leg and convalescing, here he is under house arrest. Same outcome really. And instead of the "hero" acting alone, he has two sidekicks (his best friend and a new neighborhood girl). I find that the additional characters add a bit of color and fun to a role which can very easily become dull and tedious if done badly. It works here.

The story, while simple and not original, managed to keep me entertained for the duration of the film. It's basically about a young man, Kale, who becomes a little rebellious after he witnesses his father's death and punches a teacher out. Rather than go to jail, he is put under house arrest and monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet. Being unable to leave his own property, he is forced to create a new hobby - being a voyeur of his neighborhood. Upgraded to modern technology, rather than just using binoculars, he uses binoculars, surveillance cameras, digital camcorders, cell phones with cameras and computers. Kale takes special interest in an older male neighbor, Mr. Turner, who keeps odd hours, odd guests and doing other suspicious activities. Kale is accompanied by his best friend, Ronnie, and Ashley, the new girl in the neighborhood who just forced herself into the group. Ronnie and Ashley become Kale's eyes and ears on the outside as they investigate Mr. Turner, being a possible serial killer.

I didn't mind the use of modern technology here. It just made it more plausible that more things could be witnessed and let's face it, the technology is available, so why wouldn't teenagers have and use it?

There is some blood and gore but not very much.

The acting was great on everyone's part. I didn't recognize the "teen" trio of actors but they did a convincing job. Shia LaBeouf plays Kale in such a way that you just can't not like the character; very kind, conscientious yet funny as well. Aaron Yoo plays a goofy but also likeable Ronnie. Sarah Roemer plays Ashley and she is almost as likeable as the other two. And Veteran actor David Morse plays Mr. Turner perfectly! He really seems like an emotionless, sociopathic killer which he pulls out with ease considering he usually plays the hero in his past films.

As good as I think this movie is, a few things bugged me. The biggest thing is that Kale's mother, Julie, is conveniently never around during all of Kale's stakeouts and nighttime vigils. Another is why is Mr. Turner so clumsy in hiding his current victims yet he's been there for years killing people without a problem? We don't learn anything about Kale's father and why he was killed. It probably is unnecessary but I'd of liked to learn more.

Also, it takes about half the movie until we really get to the killer aspect. This is both good and bad. It's good because it gives us time to build the case against the killer and learn about the characters. It's bad because some might feel the first half is rather slow.

This is a serious movie but it does have a few very humorous scenes during the first half of the film which doesn't detract from the movie at all. It just helps you grow closer to the main characters.

This is a good "remake" of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" with some changes but none feel like they're out of place or unnecessary. With a good, likeable cast, you actually feel for the characters. And David Morse is the perfect killer. Disturbia isn't perfect but it should entertain most viewers. 3.5/5 stars.

Cast/Characters:
Shia LaBeouf ... Kale
Sarah Roemer ... Ashley
Carrie-Anne Moss ... Julie
David Morse ... Mr. Turner
Aaron Yoo ... Ronnie
Jose Pablo Cantillo ... Officer Gutierrez
Matt Craven ... Daniel Brecht
Viola Davis ... Detective Parker
Brandon Caruso ... Greenwood Boy #1
Luciano Caruso ... Greenwood Boy #2
Daniel Caruso ... Greenwood Boy #3
Kevin Quinn ... Mr. Carlson
Elyse Mirto ... Mrs. Carlson
Suzanne Rico ... News Anchor #1
Kent Shocknek ... News Anchor #2
Rene Rivera ... Senor Gutierrez
Amanda Walsh ... Minnie Tyco
Charles Carroll ... Judge
Gillian Shure ... Turner's Club Girl
Dominic Daniel ... Policeman
Lisa Tobin ... Big Wheel Mom
Cindy-Lou Adkins ... Mrs. Greenwood

Directed by
D.J. Caruso

Writing credits
Christopher B. Landon (screenplay)
Carl Ellsworth (screenplay)
Christopher B. Landon (story)